York University secured Roses victory courtesy of their Women’s Basketball’s 45-39 defeat of Lancaster. Ultimately Lancaster were punished for getting off to a slow start in the game, which saw them trailing 14-6 after the first quarter. York further extended their lead before half-time to 25-13 as they dominated the defensive rebounds. Both teams had a fairly even number of chances; however Lancaster’s finishing was not up to the same standard as York’s.
After a motivational half-time team-talk from Coach Tom Guyler, Lancaster looked reinvigorated for the second half and seemed determined to atone for their first half shortcomings. Captain Daphne Sakellariou and Vasiliki Makou began to take a stranglehold on the game as they gradually reduced York’s lead. Deborah Acquaah worked tirelessly defensively to help reduce the number of York chances in the second half.
York’s lead had been reduced to just six by the end of the third quarter at 32-26. However that was as close as Lancaster got. York maintained their lead in a nip and tuck final quarter with an ever increasing number of fouls. The final score read York 45-39 Lancaster.
Lancaster Coach Tom Guyler stated “I am gutted for the team. It was a fantastic second half-performance under immense pressure. We just started too slowly”.
